1. Field
The present invention generally relates to the field of navigation systems, and more particularly to an intelligent navigation system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, motor vehicles are equipped with navigation systems. These navigation systems allow a driver to enter one or more destinations and provide a series of driving instructions (e.g., a route) to help the driver reach the destinations. When the driver fails to follow the driving instructions and deviates from the original route, the navigation systems can recalculate a new route and provide the driver with a new set of driving instructions.
Conventional navigation systems are passive in nature, and they do not generally predict the actions a driver may take in response to real-time conditions surrounding the driver. For example, conventional navigation systems will not anticipate that a driver driving in a middle lane is likely to miss an exit because the ongoing traffic in the right lane prevents the driver from changing lanes. As a result, conventional navigation systems will update a route only after the driver has deviated from the original route.
Such a delayed response may give the driver very little help in terms of real-time navigation. On one hand, the driver needs to pay attention to other motor vehicles, and on the other hand, the driver needs to follow driving instructions that may be hard to accomplish under certain real-time situations. As an unfortunate consequence, the driver may either lose focus on the road or miss the driving instruction.
Moreover, because of their passive nature, conventional navigation systems do not typically engage the maneuverability of the motor vehicle. It is up to the driver to execute the driving instructions provided by conventional navigation systems. However, for a variety of reasons, human drivers can often misunderstand or be confused by the driving instructions. As a result, the actual route taken by a motor vehicle can be much longer than the route originally calculated by conventional navigation systems. This may cause inefficiency in the operation of the motor vehicle and frustration in the mind of the driver.
Thus, there is a need for a more proactive and engaging navigation system.